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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā
10.13.3710.13.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.13.38

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.13.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इति सञ्चिन्त्य दाशार्हो वत्सान्सवयसानपि ।

सर्वानाचष्ट वैकुण्ठं चक्षुषा वयुनेन स: ॥ ३८ ॥

iti sañcintya dāśārho

vatsān sa-vayasān api

sarvān ācaṣṭa vaikuṇṭhaṁ

cakṣuṣā vayunena saḥ

Translation

Thinking in this way, Lord Balarāma was able to see, with the eye of transcendental knowledge, that all these calves and Kṛṣṇa’s friends were expansions of the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Manifests Every Individual Difference

  1. 1

    With the eye of transcendental knowledge, Balarāma saw that all the calves and Kṛṣṇa’s friends were expansions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    Every individual is different; even twin brothers have differences. Kṛṣṇa preserved the original features of each boy and calf.

  3. 3

    Each expansion had the same individual actions, tendencies, color and dress as the original. Manifesting all these differences was Kṛṣṇa’s opulence.

Key points from the purport
  • Yet when Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself as the boys and calves, each boy and each calf appeared in its own original feature, with the same individual way of acting, the same tendencies, the same color, the same dress, and so on, for Kṛṣṇa manifested Himself with all these differences.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After nearly a year, Baladeva observed that all the cowherd boys and calves were expansions of Kṛṣṇa. Thus He inquired from Kṛṣṇa and was informed of what had happened.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. iti sañcintyathinking in this way
  2. dāśārhaḥBaladeva
  3. vatsānthe calves
  4. sa-vayasānalong with His companions
  5. apialso
  6. sarvānall
  7. ācaṣṭasaw
  8. vaikuṇṭhamas Śrī Kṛṣṇa only
  9. cakṣuṣā vayunenawith the eye of transcendental knowledge
  10. saḥHe (Baladeva)
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.13

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.13

    In this verse: “knowledge”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Kṛṣṇa’s preservation of every individual detail reveal about His opulence?

Practice

List three individual details Kṛṣṇa reproduced, and take a moment to appreciate His power.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Manifests Every Individual DifferenceThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 10.13.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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